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5 minutes with... in association withAdobe Firefly
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5 Minutes with… Matt Routh

04/05/2023
Advertiser/Brand
San Jose, United States
390
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VP and director of digital innovation at HARRISON/STAR on how his role in the industry continues to evolve in tandem with emerging tech

Matt Routh has a sixth sense of knowing which new technology deserves your full attention. This creative and technologist has been party to the rapidly changing web since the dot com bubble, carefully observing as technological advancements have permeated various aspects of society and forged new paths for healthcare. Having most recently been reminded of the potency of digital innovation during the pandemic, Matt is confident there is no limit to the modern day potential of creative health solutions.
 
Matt is a beacon of knowledge in his field. He has his finger firmly on the pulse of the most tech-forward projects in global healthcare and medical solutions. In his role as the VP and director of digital innovation, he is responsible for introducing new technology to his associates at HARRISON/STAR. He is careful to choose the creative solutions that are designed to help kick-start ideation and inspire change, and takes great pride in shifting perceptions.
 
Chatting with LBB’s April Summers, Matt looks back at the enlightening experiences he has been afforded in his career so far, offering up some straight shooting advice for the next generation of digital innovators.
 
 

LBB> What was your start in the industry? In what ways has the industry changed since then?

 
Matt> The dotcom boom and bust was my very first job. My second job was working for a medical education company in the life sciences industry. The company created digital training materials for the pharma sales teams. I found it hilarious that we were creating interactive digital materials to train them on how to use their printed materials! 
 
Back then these were distributed on CD-ROMs. It was actually pretty great because there was a lot of experimentation around the autorun capabilities, loading supporting files from the disc, and simulating keyboard strokes. All the kinds of stuff that would be disabled not long afterwards for anti-malware purposes!
 
Things have evolved so much now that maybe a better response is to talk about what is still the same. We certainly still have sales reps and healthcare professionals that use printed materials, and that is not a bad thing. Print remains a viable medium, and so is direct mail, but there are certainly no more CD-ROMs though.
 
 

LBB> What was your first creative milestone – the project you worked on that you were super proud of?

 
Matt> Before I ever got a professional job, creating your own portfolio website was a considerable effort. Between the design, optimisation, manual development process, domain names etc. you had to do a lot of experimentation. It came down to reading books to get answers - yowza, can you imagine?!…
 
Once you got it all online and could view and share it with the entire world, that was exciting and empowering on a whole new level. This planted a seed in my brain and let me know that even little ol’ me could create something and share it here.
 
I am proud of our work on the One Liver to Love campaign and website. We partnered with Taylor Inc to create characters and animations that feature on the site, which is for patients looking to live healthy with liver cancer. I am especially proud of our use of transparent video codecs for the site, which is something that I still have not seen done elsewhere.
 
A less-exciting but equally as true answer is that I am proud of the eXperience Labs team within HARRISON/STAR. This is a dedicated department with all of the digital-first members of the agency, where we closely collaborate and share ideas, information and inspiration. 
 
 

LBB> Why do you do what you do? What excites you about digital innovation?


Matt> I have always been curious and thrilled by new technologies, and the hunt is a big part of the enjoyment. I love that we search and peel away a layer, only to find six more layers underneath. With the recent explosion of Generative AI, all of this is in hyperdrive right now too - there’s no time to sleep!
 
It is also about having a wide attention span. I work as a shared resource across the agency, so I collaborate on all clients, brands, and tactics. This is an important distinction, because I may not have worked directly on that new biz winning campaign or experiential conference booth, but I introduced some tech that was used to generate the concept or I kicked-off that forced-perspective display that they loved. My role is to find the new tech and translate it to the rest of the agency for them to run with it. For sure anyone can and should participate with innovation and it takes a team.
 

LBB> How have you seen the conversation around digital innovation evolve since you joined HARRISON/STAR three years ago? For example, do you find that more clients are eager to engage in conversations about using new technology to solve business problems?

 
Matt> Stating the obvious here, but, the pandemic advanced healthcare technology by about eight years in eight months. I would argue that we are still catching up to where we should be, but it was a silver lining to a tragic situation that we saw so many advances in health technology.
 
Pharmaceutical advertising has a bad reputation for lagging behind, but I believe the truth is that it is catching up. Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t be able to do my job. If you want proof, just look at how all of the tip-top tech companies are suddenly in this space.
 
All clients are super-interested in at least having initial conversations about emerging tech. We encounter hurdles when proposing new solutions or encouraging change for them. Often the small-to-medium size clients are the go-getters and a lot of fun to work with. The larger clients are understandably slower to adopt new tech. It just means that each one requires planning and a more customised approach. In my opinion, the only wrong way to go is doing nothing at all, which is exactly when you blink and fall behind.
 
 

LBB> Is there a HARRISON/STAR campaign or project which stands out as especially memorable or significant for you? If so, why?

 
Matt> We have a client who is essentially a technology company. They have a treatment for glioblastoma brain cancer which is often used when other drug options are no longer effective, for patients who are in understandably delicate situations. The treatment uses patches, worn throughout the day on the head to disrupt the cancer cell’s ability to grow using electrical fields. The treatment involves the patient shaving their head and wearing the array every day for most of the day.
 
Working with this client, we created a WebAR virtual try-on so potential patients could see themselves wearing the array. It was also designed to help the doctors have better conversations about the treatment. I have seen virtual try-on experiences for sunglasses, shoes, hats, and jackets... but I am proud of the fact we were able to use this technology for a life saving purpose.
 
We also have another tech-forward project on the way with this client, but I can’t mention it just yet. Soon though!
 
 

LBB> What is your approach to vetting new technology? And how do you incorporate approved technologies into your work?

 
Matt> Great question! As much as it might feel like we leap into new tech, there are certainly rules and protocols. I have my own personal device lab at home where I experiment - creating, failing and retrying on a daily basis. 
 
HARRISON/STAR is a part of the Omnicom Health Group of agencies. Within that family is the Digital Fusion collaborative group. I have a strong partnership with my counterpart at OHG, Adam, and when I find new exciting tech, I often share it with him to set up introductions and discussions. Going through the official OHG channels means that vetted tech is available to all of the agencies. Not to brag too much, but OHG is at the forefront of new technologies.
 
 

LBB> HARRISON/STAR believe in “humanising science” – what pieces of work most accurately demonstrate this?

 
Matt> All of the glioblastoma work that I previously mentioned definitely stands out as a demonstration of this. Another great example is the work we have been doing since early on in the covid pandemic with VEKLURY (aka remdesivir).
 
Our initial conversations with VEKLURY clients were not focused on business needs or bottom lines as much as they were about turning things around quickly to get materials and information into the doctor’s hands as soon as possible. We went through the process of EUA (Emergency Use Authorization), updating our workflows and digital channels to move very quickly and expedite timelines to help save lives.
 
 

LBB> What excites you most about the world of pharmaceutical and healthcare advertising in 2023 and beyond?

 
Matt> There are huge opportunities and impending needs within healthcare. While the number of healthcare professionals and time with patients is in decline in the US, the opportunities for creative solutions are on the rise. Many technologies that were in the hype cycle a little while ago are starting to see adoption now. Electronic Health Records are a divisive area that is ripe for a smart and cautious technology to come in and resolve some of the tedious aspects of that work. We must include the healthcare professionals in the creation of any solutions though.
 
We are also seeing a trend towards treating the whole patient, instead of just the sickness. This carries over into preventative care, wellness, and driving health equity for all. Once you cross over into those areas then it opens many more opportunities. I would love to participate in a prescription that includes a conversational assistant, a personalised diet and exercise plan, sensors and health data, as well as the drug schedule and adherence.
 
 

LBB> How is digital innovation facilitating these developments in the industry?

 
Matt> How we discover, experience, and re-share innovation has itself evolved into something that anyone can experience. Look at the graph for ChatGPT and how lightning-fast it went from obscurity to suddenly being on everyone’s mind. That is an extreme case, but all of that was because it was a publicly available tool anyone could use. I see the same opportunities all throughout the Generative AI landscape. There are very active Discord groups of creators sharing ideas and techniques, and then two months later you see them all in a Coca-Cola commercial. It is exciting to be a part of those communities and it takes me full-circle back to my beginning in the dotcom boom part of my career.
 
 

LBB> What would your advice be for young people looking to enter this space – what key skills should they be learning?

 
Matt> What?! You want me to give advice to the people who will eventually take my job?! But seriously, your highest priority must be to seek out what you are passionate about. Everything else bolts directly onto that. Find a community of like-minded smarty-pants and actively contribute to it. Don’t just be an observer, make stuff and get feedback. Seek out a practical industry where you would get paid to be the in-house geek. Surround yourself with inspiring examples and cut out the noise. Delete all of your friends and make all of your social media feeds be creative coders, LED display companies, and amusement park engineers. I am only half kidding there. 

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